


Shackle the Truth

by Fricksgirl_32, MissForeverRebel



Category: Backstreet Boys
Genre: Death, Drama, Gen, Graphic Violence, Murder, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 11:47:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fricksgirl_32/pseuds/Fricksgirl_32, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissForeverRebel/pseuds/MissForeverRebel
Summary: After being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Brian finds himself haunted by the vision of what he witnessed. As time progresses in a whirlwind of ever-increasing paranoia, Brian becomes tightly bound within the shackles of his inner truth, fearing he will never break free.





	Shackle the Truth

**Prologue**

There was a frigid bite to the late night air surrounding him, though Brian was unable to tell with the way the nervous perspiration covered every inch of his body. Clenching his eyes shut, he attempted to calm the tension in his body, silently willing himself to relax, but his breathing remained heavy and labored. His heart was pounding so hard, Brian truly began to fear that it would soon beat clear out of his chest. The sound left a deafening echo that made his eardrums ache and the room spin around him. Truly, Brian felt like he could vomit at any moment and almost prayed that the ground would open up and envelop him whole.

Swallowing thickly, Brian pried his eyes open and flit his gaze sporadically around the state of disarray surrounding him on the main floor of the abandoned warehouse. The pale glow from the Moon filtering in through the windows high up on the wall opposite of Brian provided just enough light for him to make out what was around him. The concrete ground beneath his feet was cracked and disgustingly dirty from obvious years of abandonment and neglect and though some of the windows were completely void of their once pristine sheets of glass, others contained jagged shards that still clung hopelessly to the window frames. They cast wicked shadows that seemed to take on a life of their own and dance around Brian, toying with his already fragile mind and making him even more nervous than he already was.

God, how did things become so messed up?

Two weeks prior to that very moment, life as Brian had known it for so long had made sense. Chaotic as his life was to the outside world looking in, it had become his routine, his normal for the vast majority of his existence, that he couldn’t truly remember what life was like outside of his career. The fast-paced whirlwind from one day to the next brought with it a certain sense of security that left Brian without the need to guess what would happen next and he preferred it that way. It made him feel in control.

Now, though...now Brian had been stripped of every bit of control he thought he had ever had over his life up to that point. Control became a matter of perspective and in a single moment during a dreary night two weeks before, that perspective came crashing down around Brian, destroying everything he thought he knew about the world and everything he had ever believed in. Security felt to be a fleeting memory of Brian’s past, stolen from him against his will. Nothing around him made sense and there wasn’t an ounce left in him that was certain it ever would again.

Brian felt as if he were suffocating with the way the muscles in his throat seemed to tighten with each passing second and it took all he had within him to remain standing upright. Every little groaning sound that came from the dilapidated structure and every shift of the shadows made the walls feel like they were closing in on him. No matter how much the authorities assured him he would be safe, Brian couldn’t deter the thought that he was merely a sitting duck with a very distinct beckoning target hanging over his head. How could safety even be a logical part of the equation?

“Try to relax, Mr. Littrell. This will all be over soon.”

Brian nearly jumped where he stood at the familiar sound of the detective’s voice that coached him calmly through the earpiece in his left ear. The device was so tiny, that after he had been fitted with it, he’d had half a mind to consider nothing was there; it was tiny enough that it was virtually invisible and felt weight-less within his ear canal. Of course they had assured Brian that it would remain undetectable and was a necessary component to assure his safety during the process. Although the thought that even ** _they_ ** believed they could secure Brian’s safety did nothing to make him feel any better.

Relax? Brian didn’t think that was physically possible.

Exhaling a shallow breath, Brian allowed his gaze to shift down to the face of his watch before shifting again to the tattered dark gray duffle bag he was gripping the handles of in his right hand. It was uncomfortably heavy and difficult to keep hold of with the way it was filled nearly to the brink with crisp counterfeit bills in the sum of the ransom demanded. The detective and everyone else involved were confident the presentation would suffice during the “delivery”, but as more time passed, the more Brian’s doubts elevated.

He wasn’t safe. This was a mistake.

“It’s almost over, Bri. You’re gonna be okay. You’ll get to see Leighanne and Baylee soon.”

Gritting his teeth at the sound of Kevin’s voice, Brian clenched his mouth shut and nodded softly, even though he knew it was for his benefit only. The earpiece was his only line of communication in that moment and it did little to ease the tension debilitating his body. His cousin’s promise that he would be reunited with his wife and son soon made his pounding heart ache with such yearning for his family that he nearly collapsed in the spot he stood.

Brian just wanted to go home. He wanted to forget the nightmare that was quickly destroying him.

“Father God,” Brian spoke quietly and his voice all but shook and threatened to give out. He didn’t care that the words were heard on the other end of the line of communication through the earpiece. Prayer was the last shred of solace he could muster. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but...but You have never failed me yet. Your faithfulness is above all measure and I… Father God, I trust You. Please, keep me safe so I can see my wife and son again. I beg of You-”

Brian didn’t have time to register the way his voice cut abruptly short as the sensation of the cold metal end of a gun’s muzzle pressing against the back of his head sent an electrifying shockwave along the entire length of his spine. Immobilized with raw dread, the handles of the duffle bag slipped out of Brian’s grasp and the bag landed on the concrete ground with a deafening thud that echoed around him.

And then the sound of the gun cocking had the breath catching in Brian’s throat.

“Where’s your God now?”


End file.
